Man in Black
by Rajaram7
Summary: In life a villain, in death a hero.


The Man in Black

Alone, he stands in the dark. Watching, waiting, wishing, hoping… maybe she might look his way. He never gets his wish. Always he stands, shrouded in darkness, watching for her. Waiting to know if she will come home safely. From the dark corners of the dungeon, to the darkened streets of Godric's Hollow, he watches and waits for just one glimpse of her. No one understands him. Circumstances and bad choices led him to this path, and now he cannot leave except by way of death. One chance meeting caused his happiness and one mistake tore it away. That one mistake defines him, it has shaped his existence, causing him to shun the outside world, to hate life and everything in it, save one thing. No one understands, no one sees. They call him a coward and yet he couldn't be more courageous.

As a child he lived with parents who had no love for each other, him, or anyone else. He lived silently in the shadows of his own house for years, until one day he saw a ray of sunshine. This new and bright ray of sunshine, was unlike anything he had ever seen. It had fiery locks of red hair, stunning eyes the color of emeralds, and most of all, a kind heart, a warm smile, and welcomed him with open arms. He found happiness for the first time. He escaped from his parents to be with his sunshine, the one ray of hope in his dark life.

As a young teenager he went to school. He was bullied, terrorized, hated. Those who should have been his friends, judged him by his appearance. They called him names, they tripped him in the hallways, and they found reasons to pick on him when there was none. They tore him apart from the inside out. Through it all, he kept his sunshine. She was the one good spot in his day. She was kind, she was beautiful, she was brave, and she laughed with him, not at him. She was his joy, his hope, and his love; but one day it all changed. He made one mistake, and his sunshine was gone forever.

As a typical sixteen year old guy, he lost his one true friend, and he never forgave himself. He hated himself for it, and he never forgot how much harm one simple word can do. He retreated further back into the darkness. He found himself in depression, sadness, and then finally anger. He sought friends who he knew she wouldn't approve of. He tried all he could to be hurtful to her, to return the hurt that he received. He watched, as day by day, she stopped looking for him, stopped caring about him, and ultimately stopped being his sunshine. He watched in agony, as she turned her sights and friendship to the one person he couldn't stand.

As a young adult, he watched as the girl he loved married another man. A man that he hated, a man who had bullied him throughout his teenage years. A man who was arrogant, stuck up, and a show off. He watched as they said "I do" and realized in that moment that his greatest enemy, was himself. He turned to self-loathing, depression, and again…anger. He joined in the Dark forces of the day, in hopes of erasing the feeling of being powerlessness. So many times in his life he had felt powerless. Powerless to stop his parents from fighting, powerless to stop his sunshine being ripped away, powerless to stop her from marrying another. He determined to never be powerless again, and so he turned to power and to greed… but he never stopped loving her.

As a man in his mid-twenties, he sat in small inn listening for information. By this time in his life he had done things he never wanted to do. He had murdered the innocent, killed friends, tortured countless souls, and all in the name of Evil. This task was to be easy compared to all that, just listen in on a few conversations, bring back the information, and all would be well. He followed, he listened, he gathered information, and he took it back to his master. That day, he changed his allegiance from dark to light. The information he had provided had caused a death warrant to be placed upon _her _head, and he swore that the girl he loved would not die because of him.

As man who had switched sides in the middle of a war, he sat in the dark alleyways of Godric's Hollow and waited for the girl he loved to come home. His stone heart cracked just a little, as he saw her son and husband… the life that should have been his if not for one mistake. He stubbornly ignored the moment of hurt, determined to brush it off, and then disappeared once more into the darkness, feeling sure that for tonight she was safe.

As a man filled with fear, he ran to the street corner across from her house. Gasping for air, he spied the door blown open, the roof near to collapsing, and the stench of death on the air. He ran to the house frantic to find her. As he prepared to enter the near ruined house, he took a deep breath. He yearned for clarity, for some sort of hope that his worst fear was not coming true. He pushed open the door and took in the wreckage that awaited him. The coffee table was overturned, the couch in shambles, the lights were exploded and long spent, and there on the floor laid the man who He had once hated. The man who had taken his sunshine away, yet he could not find it in himself to be glad, he was too full of fear, "what else he might find here?". He heard the cry of a baby from up the stairs, and immediately ran to the source. As he entered the room, he dimly registered the crib in the corner that held the crying baby. Most of his attention however was focused solely on the figure who laid on the floor. Her bright red hair, once so vibrant, had lost its brilliance. Her smile was gone, her skin was too pale, and worst of all, her eyes… her once emerald eyes, were now nothing but a sick imitation, taunting him to remembrance.

As a man with a broken heart, he held her dead body in his arms while he cried. He forcefully stilled his tears, as he slowly dragged himself away. He had lost something he could never replace, and so he turned his heart once more into stone. He never smiled, never laughed, never had a kind thought for anyone but her. The Evil that had taken hold of him, was now gone, but it would come back eventually. It would come back to seek vengeance upon the boy who had survived the massacre that night.

As a man with no purpose, he found one in keeping her son alive. The boy who had lived, the boy who inherited only one outward trait from his mother… her eyes. Her bright, vibrant, emerald green eyes. Every time he looked into those eyes, he found his stone heart soft as butter and suddenly stabbed to its core. He loathed the boy he now protected. The boy symbolized the life she should have had, the life that _they_ should have had together, but it never happened. It didn't help that the boy looked like his father, the one person that The Man in Black hated almost as much as himself. He hated the boy, yet he still protected him. He protected him for her, because still, after so much time had passed, he still loved her.

As a man who had a job to do, he looked into the eyes of his friend, and killed him. He didn't want to, but he had a job to do. He had people to protect, he had people to save. He helped others secretly, no one knew just how much he did, just how much he sacrificed, because he did it quietly, not seeking recognition, only redemption. He gave hope to others but left none for himself, and everyone hated him for it.

As a man all alone, he walked to his death, willingly, knowingly, without complaint. He tried to help _her_ son as much as he could before the end, he tried and he succeeded. He worked for the light while under the pretense of working for the dark. He was a hated man, he was called a coward, he was shunned by all, loved by none, had no hope, no family, and no purpose save to seek forgiveness and redemption from a lost love who had already passed beyond this life. And as he lay dying, his last act was to give _her_ son what small closure, help, and comfort he could.

As a dead man, he was called a hero. Having done all he could do against Evil, he gave his life in the cause of the Light. While living he was known as cold hearted, cruel, snide, stuck up, greasy, a traitor, a murderer, a despicable being, and a coward. Now, he is known as helpful, brave, and courageous. The false hoods that were assumed about him during his life, are now cleared. No one saw the boy, no one liked the teenager, everyone knew and hated the man in life; but now in death, Severus Snape is known as one of the most courageous men who ever lived.


End file.
